cbcvebase.
CVE-2025-20284
published 2025-07-16

CVE-2025-20284: A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying…

PriorityP261high7.2CVSS 3.1
AVNACLPRHUINSUCHIHAH
EPSS
12.68%
95.8th percentile
A vulnerability in a specific API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system as root. This vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of user-supplied input. An attacker with valid credentials could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted API request. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands as the root user. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have valid high-privileged credentials.

Affected

16 ranges
VendorProductVersion rangeFixed in
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscocisco_identity_services_engine_software
ciscoidentity_services_engine< 3.3.03.3.0
ciscoidentity_services_engine
ciscoidentity_services_engine
ciscoidentity_services_engine_authenticated
ciscoidentity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector< 3.3.03.3.0
ciscoidentity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector
ciscoidentity_services_engine_passive_identity_connector

Detection & IOCsextracted from sources · hover to see the quote

  • Vulnerability is exploitable via a crafted API request to a specific API endpoint in Cisco ISE / ISE-PIC; monitor for anomalous or malformed API requests from authenticated high-privileged accounts
  • Successful exploitation results in command execution as the root user on the underlying OS; monitor for unexpected root-level process spawning from the ISE application process
  • Root cause is insufficient input validation (CWE-74 injection) in the API layer; look for injection-style payloads (e.g., shell metacharacters) in API request bodies directed at Cisco ISE
  • A companion vulnerability in the same advisory covers IP access filter bypass (CWE-302); correlate with unexpected source IPs successfully reaching ISE management APIs that should be blocked by access filters
  • Track Cisco Bug IDs CSCwp02806, CSCwp02811, CSCwp02819 for vendor patch/detection guidance updates
  • ·Exploitation requires valid high-privileged (admin-level) credentials; this is not an unauthenticated attack vector. Detections should be scoped to authenticated sessions.
  • ·No workarounds are available from Cisco; patching via software updates is the only remediation path.

CVSS provenance

nvdv3.17.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vendor_cisco6.5MEDIUM
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